You & Your Wedding popped a cork (or two!) with Love & Lord’s newest recruit, wine consultant Tom Harrow, to talk delicious wines fit for a four-course Italian feast...

AN ITALIAN FEAST (menu taken from the Il Borro Estate in Tuscany, Italy)

Tom says...
“Tuscany produces many of Italy's most iconic and popular wines. These inevitably pair well with the hearty rustic flavours of its dishes. When I lived in the area I found the trick was to drink what is made locally but not necessarily what the locals drink – as wine is part of their lives, it is often taken for granted and the better bottles are seen as an extravagance.”

1. Antipasto: timbale of baked aubergine with parmesan and basil pesto
“This is quite a rich dish with robust flavours where even a rosé or light red might be appropriate, but an obvious choice is Tuscany's top white – vernaccia (£8-£12). Grown around the hills of San Gimignano, the famous town of folly towers, there is nothing foolish about a lightly oaked version of this intense, aromatic and deeply satisfying wine whose structure and depth will stand up well with the timbale.”

“For something a little steelier, Poggio Al Tesoro 'Solosole' vermentino (£18) is so much purer and fresher than many from Tuscany. It enjoys extra fermentation and is compelling and complex with minerality not creaminess – a Chablis on a Vespa.”

2. Primi: wild mushroom ravioli with a mushroom and nepitella herb sauce
“With funghi we could look at a richer white; Isole e Olena's chardonnay (£18) is Tuscany's finest. Generous and supple but with backbone and depth; it's almost too drinkable.”

“However, now could be a good time to introduce a 'chianti classico', dominated by sangiovese, the grape which defines the Tuscan reds. Bitter cherries, liquorice and tobacco notes play with the wild herbs in the sauce. This wine is medium-bodied, always elegant and sinewy. Poggerino, Castellare and Fontodi (£12-£15) are three producers of distinctive mid-weight chianti that exemplify the wine's qualities.”

3. Secondo: lamb carré with Il Borro’s Pian di Nova wine sauce, served with dauphinoise potatoes and green beans or spinach and ricotta stuffed pancakes with a tomato sauce (v)
“Slow-cooked lamb cries out for a spicy, savoury red and one good option is syrah, which is becoming more popular in the region, especially in the south. The D'Alessandro estate near Cortona makes a wonderful example (for about £24) and their younger vine wine is like a Crozes-Hermitage from a ripe vintage.”

“But, for a real treat, one must turn to the wines of Montalcino. Brunello (£25-£40) is the most powerful and long-lived of Tuscany's reds – iconic, masterful, and aristocratic – but also the rossos (£12-£15) from the same estates increasingly deserve attention. They are younger, fresher and often a little more engaging, particularly with the more delicate flavours of the vegetarian option.”

4. Dolce: wedding cake – millefoglie with mixed berries
“There is a tendency to serve dessert wine with dessert (rather than instead of) and certainly this would be a nice opportunity to try a great Tuscan vin santo – full of hazelnuts and almonds, figs and dried apricots. However, I love to pair dolce with bubbles. A richer style prosecco (£12-£15) or better still Moscato d'Asti (£10-£12), both from cooler northern climes, will cut through the sweetness of the dessert, their fresh fruity, floral characters complementing the summer fruits. Both are good for toasts and are a great opportunity to refresh the palate readying you for dancing (not snoozing) through the speeches!”

The Love & Lord Wedding Wine Service launched this month, offering grooms and brides-to-be all the tips they need to ensure the perfect wine selection for their love-filled event – such as pre-wedding family tastings, sophisticated hen and stag parties, seasonal wedding wine selections, a romantic Valentine’s supper or a luxurious wedding gift.

The service also offers top tips on avoiding wine wastage and securing the best value wine selections that look and taste the part but are affordable for large events. As experts in exclusive, bespoke wedding events, the Love & Lord Wedding Wine Service ensures that every aspect of the wedding, even down to the wine, is perfectly paired with your theme.

To book your wedding planning consultation with Love & Lord which includes The Love & Lord Wedding Wine Service visit loveandlord.com or call 020 7183 9944 where you can also download more top-tips on selecting wedding wines.